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Archaeomagnetic Dating

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

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Definition

Archaeomagnetic dating is the study of the past geomagnetic field as recorded by archaeological materials and the interpretation of this information to date past events.

Introduction

Archaeomagnetic dating is a method for dating fired materials and sediments from archaeological sites, based on their preserved magnetic remanence. The principles of the method can be summarized as follows:

  • The geomagnetic field changes significantly on archaeologically relevant timescales of decades and centuries (Tarling, 1983, p. 145).

  • Some archaeological materials contain magnetized particles, and certain events cause the geomagnetic field at a particular moment in time to be recorded by these particles.

  • This recorded magnetization can be measured in the laboratory.

  • By comparing the recorded magnetization with a dated record of changes in the geomagnetic field with time, the event which caused the recording can be dated.

The application of archaeomagnetic dating is restricted in time and...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, BD7 1DP, Bradford, UK

    Cathy Batt

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  1. Cathy Batt
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Correspondence to Cathy Batt .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    W. Jack Rink  & Jeroen W. Thompson  & 

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Batt, C. (2015). Archaeomagnetic Dating. In: Jack Rink, W., Thompson, J.W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6304-3_11

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